Saturday, August 20, 2016

Cong. Toff De Venecia on War on Drugs

Q & A: Pangasinan 4th District’s
Congressman Christopher “Toff” de Venecia sat with media men at his ancestral home at a coastal village in
Dagupan City to discuss the war on dangerous drugs aggressively implemented by Philippines’
President Rodrigo Duterte, his recent privilege speech at the Halls of Congress,
and his two proposed bills “Prevention of Drug Use Among High Risk Individuals
and For The Rehabilitation of Dangerous Drug Users, Etc.” and “Providing for
the Social Reintegration and Monitoring of Rehabilitated Individuals and
Appropriating Funds Thereof”.

QUESTION:
What is your stand and the four Districts’ congressmen in Pangasinan on the
present predicament of Pangasinan First District Congressman Jesus “Boying”
Celeste after he was implicated by President Rodrigo Duterte to allegedly coddle
drug personalities

TOFF. Pangasinan Congressman Toff de Venecia (2nd
from right) answers questions from reporters in a press conference he called
recently at his house in Dagupan City. PHOTO: Mortz C. Ortigoza

CONGRESSMAN CHRISTOPHER “TOFF” DE VENECIA: Alam ninyo
po hinde pa kami nakapag fellowship ni Congressman. I have my own relationship
and fellowship with each of them. I also want to establish a relation to the (Pangasinan)
Governor (Amado “Pogi” Espino III) para
magtulungan lahat.

It is very
unfortunate na nabanggit nga siya (Representative Celeste) ng president pero
siya po ang may intelligence (network) that are not available to us
(congressmen).

Q: What is you alternative to drug prevention implemented
by the gung-ho Duterte Administration?

A: We must
recognize that the formula embodied in the present efforts to curb drug abuse
is not its end-all-be-all. It is only the beginning, as mentioned by my
distinguished colleague from AKO-Bicol Party-List. For one, it has been
deplored in various media channels as chimerical; perhaps even Quixotic to some
extent, citing that there has never been “a successful war on drugs in any
country”. But I am a firm believer in the concept of disruption – finding new
solutions to old problems.

On the level of the
barangay, I call on the immediate convening of the BADAC (Barangay Anti-Drug
Council). To be able to solve the drug problem, we must first to know the root
of the problem. Therefore, it is important for the BADAC to also collaborate
with various sectors like parent-teachers association, health workers, senior
citizens, and youth groups, even TODAs (Tricycle Operators and Drivers
Associations).

Q: How about the funding for the BADACs?

A: I call on our
barangay families to allocate a portion of their Internal Revenue Allotment or
IRA for the proliferation of the said body, and for provincial and municipal
governments to be vigilant about its implementation.

Q: What is the role of the Department of Health on your
endeavor versus narcotics?

A: On the level of
health, I call for the establishment and expansion of existing drug
rehabilitation centers such as the ones found in Davao, Pangasinan, Cebu,
Zamboanga, Albay, Camarines Sur, Iloilo, Negros Occidental and Leyte, among
others. These institutions should be able to cater to men, women, and minors
who are drug-dependent, making available (at affordable rates or through state
subsidy), in-patient services and dormitories for the duration of the
treatment, under the keen supervision of the Department of Health.

In Dagupan City,
our drug rehabilitation center was set up with a bed capacity of 300 people,
through the effort of my father, former Speaker Jose de Venecia, and my mother,
former Congresswoman Gina de Venecia. However, even with a bed capacity of 300
people, our rehabilitation center is struggling to accommodate the recent
influx of drug dependent patients coming from Regions 1, 2, and the Cordillera
Administrative Region. It is only
logical that the President’s war against drugs serve as impetus to expand the
facility to accommodate in-patient services and dormitories for female
drug-users, as well as minors.

Q: Do you have a social reintegration program for the
rehabilitation of individuals?

A: One possible sustaining mechanism is the creation of
employment and livelihood opportunities for rehabilitated individuals which
could also serve as incentive for those undergoing rehabilitation. This can be
spearheaded by the DSWD (Department of Social Welfare & Development) in
cooperation with DTI (Department of Trade & Industry) and DOLE (Department
of Labor & Employment) by coming up with cash-for-work initiatives, skills
training programs, as well as strategic partnerships with social cooperatives
and social enterprise business. I call on TESDA (Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority) to assist the DSWD by utilizing alternative learning
systems in capacity-building for said livelihood opportunities. Furthermore, I
am enjoining NCCA (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) to provide
artistic opportunities for the rehabilitated individual that would cultivate
talent and free expression.